Lake Champlain has always been a beautiful spot in the world. Located north of Lake George, it remains largely agricultural. Fort Ticonderoga, Crown Point State Park, and Ausable State Park are fascinating attractions. The same number of people who live here now are roughly the same amount as in 1880. It is filled with farms and forests. But that is slowly changing. The agricultural community is growing more sophisticated, and beginning to offer some of the high end foods and experiences as one experienced in Columbia County 20 years ago. Farms are counting more gourmet items, restaurants are beginning to pop up that offer a finer experience. And that is a good thing.    
 
One of those businesses exhibiting that kind of growth is Rolling Hills Estate Winery in Westport, NY. The property’s agricultural history dates to 1903, when Joseph and Susan Ord acquired the land. Generations later, Alexander “Sandy” Treadwell and his family played an instrumental role in helping establish the Champlain Valley of New York AVA, working with Cornell University on a one-acre experimental vineyard. Rolling Hills subsequently acquired the property, recognizing the region’s potential even before the AVA was officially established in 2016. Today, the winery owns that historic vineyard and has planted another 20 acres of estate vineyards.
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